Oak seed dispersal : a study in plant-animal interactions / Michael A. Steele.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Seed Dispersal: An Introduction -- The Distribution, Diversity, and Evolution of the Oaks -- The Oak Life Cycle -- Masting in Oaks -- The Oak Dispersal Process: Intrinsic Factors I -- The Oak Dispersal Process: Intrinsic Factors II -- The Oak Dispersal Process: Extrinsic Factors I -- The Oak Dispersal Process: Extrinsic Factors II -- The Rodents: Seed Predators or Seed Dispersers? -- The Jays: A Different Kind of Oak Dispersal Agent -- The Mind of the Scatterhoarder -- The Insects: Acorn Predators, Parasites, or Commensals? -- Anthropogenic Factors Influencing Oak Dispersal, Establishment, and Regeneration -- Threatened Oak Forests and Oak Forest Conservation -- Oak Dispersal and Oak-Animal Interactions: Looking Forward.

"This book details the causes and consequences of oak forest structure. Oaks, Steele argues, have formed a coevolutionary bond with their seed predators. This bond can be understood by studying the complex interactions of rodent and jay scatter-hoarding, partial seed predation due to acorn chemistry, the impact of oak forest predators on seed predators, and the limiting effects of fallen nuts on insect damage. The book will provide a comprehensive framework on which future research will build"-- Provided by publisher

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